Israeli army: Gaza war will last "many more months"
Army chief Halevi said that there is no "magic solution and no shortcut, except to be persistent and determined in the fight" in the thorough destruction of a "terrorist organization".
On Wednesday night, explosive fire could be seen in the sky over Chan Junis and eyewitnesses spoke of fighting on the ground. The largest city in the south of the Gaza Strip has been a focus of Israeli attacks since the army said it had largely taken control of the north of the Palestinian territory.
Massive bombardments were also reported from the refugee settlements of al-Maghasi and al-Bureij in the center of the Gaza Strip. In the north, fierce fighting broke out on Tuesday morning in the Sheikh Radwan district of the city of Gaza and in Jabalia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously announced an "intensification" of the attacks.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, met with the Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer. Among other things, the conversation was about a "transition to a different phase of the war" in order to "maximize the focus on important Hamas targets", a White House representative said afterwards. The damage to civilians had to be minimized and the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip improved.
On Wednesday night, the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, and US President Biden held talks. According to the Qatari Foreign Ministry, they discussed ways to achieve a "lasting ceasefire". A ceasefire lasting several days was agreed at the end of November under the mediation of Qatar, during the course of which 105 hostages held by Hamas were exchanged for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
The Gaza war began on October 7 with an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel. Hundreds of Hamas fighters committed atrocities, according to Israeli figures around 1140 people were killed and 250 others were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip. 129 hostages are still in the Palestinian territory.
In response to the Hamas attack, Israel has been attacking targets in the Gaza Strip ever since. According to the latest figures from the Hamas Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 21,110 people have been killed so far. On Tuesday, the ministry spoke of 195 deaths within 24 hours.
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Source: www.stern.de
